Commercialisation of Cattle in Imperial Madagascar, 1795–1895

Abstract

This chapter examines the role of cattle in Madagascar during the Imperial Merina era from c. 1795 to 1895, notably in the central highland region of Imerina where the island’s capital, Antananarivo, is situated. The Merina, the inhabitants of Imerina, traditionally raised few cattle. However, military expansion permitted them to capture cattle from the pastoral peoples who occupied the plains at lower altitude, notably in the south and west of the island. This occurred simultaneously with the development of a plantation economy on neighbouring Mascarene Islands of Mauritius and Réunion. The chapter discusses the traditional significance attached to cattle, then analyses in what ways, both ritually and commercially, their role changed with the rise both of the Merina Empire and of the sugar plantation economy on the Mascarenes.